Firecracker accidents, a sad story of unsafe and unregulated workplaces at cost of human lives

Eight workers were on Sunday killed in an explosion at a fireworks factory in the Anakapalli district of Andhra Pradesh, adding to the heartbreaking list of such tragedies in India.

In the past 15 days or so, explosions at two illegal fireworks factories in Gujarat and West Bengal have killed 29 people, including 12 children.

If the Andhra Pradesh accident is included, the number would be 37—a figure highlighting the prevalence of informal firecracker plants in India and the lack of enforcement of rules and regulations in manufacturing and storage.

According to reports, as many as 21 people were killed and six others injured on April 1 in an explosion and blaze in a godown in the Banaskantha district of Gujarat where firecrackers were allegedly stored and manufactured illegally.

A day earlier (March 31), eight people, including four children, died in an accidental fire at a house in the Pathar Pratima block in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district.

The family was reportedly running an illegal fireworks unit nearby and had stored fireworks at home.

Locals alleged that not only firecrackers, but crude bombs were also being manufactured at the site.

However, whenever any objection was raised, the owners claimed they had a license. The local MLA was also quoted as saying that the family had a license to operate a firecracker manufacturing unit.

But according to the police, “it was now a subject of investigation."

Fireworks tragedies

Since 2023, similar explosions have killed over 20 people in West Bengal alone, reports suggest.

The list of accidents at Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu, known for firecrackers, matchbox, and printing industries, is long. Ground reports suggest improvement in major/reputed businesses, but issues persist in medium and small fireworks factories often operating illegally.

The organised sector may have improved, but issues remain due to “limited safety regulations and superficial enforcement" in small to medium units operating in areas outside major cities on an informal basis, they add.

Reports quoting police data suggest that 239 people died and over 265 were injured in 142 accidents in fireworks units in Sivakasi between 2010 and 2020.

But such tragedies have not been confined to Sivakasi—the “fireworks capital."

A tragedy waiting to happen

Experts lament that whether it is in Gujarat or elsewhere, it is almost as if the authorities wait for an accident to react, while they should be reacting proactively to avoid them.

Reportedly, the Gujarat warehouse was also functioning illegally in blatant disregard of rules or fear of punishment.

“The factory was operating, stockpiling, and possibly manufacturing firecrackers in clear violation of a storage-only permit," as per reports.

The Harda accident of February 2024 is also another sad example of a violation of rules like storing explosives beyond permitted limits, lack of fire safety equipment, and a history of incidents ignored by authorities.

At least 11 people died and 149 were injured in the blast followed by a fire in the firecracker factory in Madhya Pradesh’s Harda district.

The operation of firecracker factories in India is governed by proper rules and regulations aided by Parliamentary legislations, mandating licenses, safety audits, stringent storage limits, etc.

The Petroleum & Explosives Safety Organization (PESO) under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade has proper guidelines conferred by Rule 6 of the Explosives Rules, 2008, on authorised explosives for export, transport, manufacture, possession, use, and sale.

Factories must maintain fire-safety equipment, ensure proper ventilation, and train workers in handling hazardous materials.

However, guidelines are often ignored by the unorganised sector, with illegal units thriving aided by the authorities’ failure to monitor compliance.

Such accidents are often the result of manufacturing and storing in makeshift unlicensed units, and compounded by improper handling of chemicals by untrained and unskilled workers, spillage/overloading during the filling process, and working outside permitted areas.

All these are identified as major causes for fireworks accidents.

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